


love at first sight (should i walk by again?)

by catarara



Category: IT (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Rated T for language, Roommate AU kinda, This is DUMB, also i didnt include like any of the losers and i feel bad, they're all like 18/19
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-03-11 12:48:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13524588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catarara/pseuds/catarara
Summary: Eddie is finally making a friend, and now he's going to be murdered. Great.(or the roommate au where love is dumb)





	love at first sight (should i walk by again?)

**Author's Note:**

> first it fandom fic?? i just love these two.
> 
> title is from the brobecks "love at first sight"

“Thanks for letting me stay here tonight, Stan,” Eddie smiled gratefully.

“It's not a big deal Eddie. It's too dangerous to walk so late at night,” Stan replied, “Just don't forget to text Bill where you're at.”

Eddie smiled again, shooting his roommate Bill a quick text about staying the night at Stan’s place. It wasn't anything weird- Eddie and Stan were just huge nerds. Both of them were on the honors scholarship at their college and met in their Psychology class. There was a large project due in under a week, and so they teamed up to ensure the best possible grade. 

“I'm going to set up the couch for you if that's alright?” Stan called out from the hallway, grabbing the extra set of linens out of the closet.

Eddie was a little excited. He felt like a kid again at his first sleepover. It had been hard making friends in college. Eddie had Bill, of course, but he's known Bill since second grade. He was happy to be making another friend in Stan.

Stan came back into the living room with an armful of blankets and one pillow. The two proceeded to set up the couch to be a makeshift bed, and soon enough, Stan and Eddie bid their goodnights to each other. Eddie glanced at the clock shining from the DVD player across from him. It glowed 11:51 p.m. at him. Eddie was excited, sure, but he needed to sleep. 

So Eddie slept.

For four hours.

At 4:03 a.m.- the numbers glaring at him- Eddie woke up to crashing. It was coming from the kitchen, and it sounded like someone was in there.

Stan’s apartment wasn't big. This meant the living room and the kitchen were connected, and that the noise was less than twenty feet from where Eddie was lying on the couch.

Eddie freaked out a little, reaching out for the inhaler on the coffee table he knew he didn’t need. He inhaled bitter air. Here he was, finally making a new friend, and he was going to get murdered along with his new friend.

Or it's just Stan in the kitchen, his mind reasoned.

It was a calming thought, and while Eddie didn't know why Stan was such an early riser, he took it upon himself to go the kitchen and tell Stan good morning (and maybe to shut the fuck up). 

So Eddie rolled off of the couch and strolled into the kitchen in his boxers and t-shirt. (It was gross sleeping in his clothes, but he didn't plan on crashing at Stan's place.)

Stan was not in the kitchen. Someone who was very much not Stan stood in the kitchen, looking through the drawers. 

The man (not Stan not Stan not Stan oh my god I'm gonna die) seemingly found what he was looking for, pulling out a knife and spinning around.

Eddie tried screaming, he really did, his mouth opened, he forced air out, and nothing. He was going to die.

The man holding a knife looked very shocked to see Eddie. Then he proceeded to look him over, and was he checking Eddie out?

“Stannie didn't tell me he took someone home last night, much less someone so cute!” The man exclaimed. 

“What's your name, darling?” The man asked, drawling out his words like he was attempting a Southern accent.

“Who the fuck are you?” Eddie finally screeched out.

“Richie Tozier, at your service, cutie! Unless your Stan's cutie- he might not like that. I'll just have to settle for your mom I guess!” 

The man- Richie, was still holding the knife, and was annoying as fuck.

“Cat got your tongue, eh? I have that effect on people, you know, making ‘em speechless?” Richie continued.

When Eddie didn't respond, Richie sighed, “Well as much as I love this riveting conversation, I've got to eat.” 

Richie waved the knife around and indicated to the toast on the counter. Eddie, fairly certain Richie was no longer an axe murderer, sat down at the island in the kitchen. 

“So cutie, you got a name, or am I just gonna have to keep calling you affectionate nicknames? Would you like that, apple of my eye, sugar plum gumdrop, honey b-”

“It's Eddie, and please never call me any of those again if you want to live.”

“Eddie?” Richie asked, turned away from where he was buttering his toast with a too big knife, smiling.

Eddie nodded.

“Well, Eds, what brings you to the Tozier-Uris residence? Did you shack up with Staniel? He's not usually the type, but I can see how he’d make an exception for you,” Richie winked at him, sending a tiny shiver of something up Eddie's spine.

Eddie took a good look at the person who was apparently Stan’s roommate. He was tall, probably definitely over six feet tall, and most definitely taller than Eddie. His hair was a wild mess of curls, freckles splattered his face, and he was wearing the ugliest outfit. 

A Hawaiian shirt, really? And those glasses, Eddie thought, were hideous and they made Richie’s eyes look huge and even in the dim light of the kitchen, you could see the tiny flecks of gold and- 

Shut up. So what? He's cute.

“See something you like?” Richie smirked, shaking Eddie out of his thoughts.

And vulgar.

“Not in the slightest,” Eddie hissed. 

Richie’s smiles fell minutely, then picked up full force, grinning as he asked, “So are you Stan’s new man or something? Why’d he make you sleep on the couch? I’d never do that to you, cutie, you’re always welcome in my bed.”

Eddie rolled his eyes dramatically before replying, “He’s in my psychology class. We teamed up for a better grade on this project due in a few days. We worked too late and it got too dark for me to walk back to my place, so I spent the night. I’m not dating Stan or anything like that. I’m, uh, single,” Eddie was rambling and why did he say that, “Stan didn’t tell me he had a roommate. Are you his roommate?”

“Aw, Stannie didn’t mention me? I am offended, truly. Friends for seven years, roommates for two, and the guy doesn’t even introduce me to his cute single classmate,” Richie said overdramatically.

“Maybe because I knew you’d be a nuisance to him,” a new voice entered the kitchen.

“A nuisance? Me?” Richie gasped, “Never in your life Staniel.”

“Why the fuck are you even awake this early? When did you come home?”

“Did you miss me?”

“No.”

Eddie watched the exchange in front of him before letting out a giggle, squinting up his eyes. It was funny, Stan looked tired and very irritated and Richie was exuberant, bouncing on the heels of his feet, and-

Looking at Eddie.

Eddie blushed. Richie looked in awe.

“I hope you made breakfast Trashmouth since you woke me up this early,” Stan said, sitting next to Eddie at the island. 

“I, uh, um, have toast?” Richie stumbled out, still looking at Eddie.

An angel, Richie’s mind kept playing that laugh over and over, I have met a real-life angel.

Stan looked at Richie looking at Eddie, then looked at Eddie. 

“No,” he groaned.

Richie recovered then, hopping onto the counter, “Stan the Man, please invite Eddie over for the rest of my life.”

Eddie was officially turning red.

“Do it yourself,” Stan glared, “I’m going back to bed.”

Then Stan smiled, which was suspicious, because Stan rarely smiled, and said, “Don’t make too much noise.”

Eddie was a tomato now, probably permanently. Even Richie was a little pink.

“I'm...going back to bed too,” Eddie mumbled out, sneaking away back to the couch.

“Oh, Eddie Spaghetti, don't go!” Richie called after him.

“Don't call me that!”

Eddie crawled under the blankets from his makeshift bed and promptly fell back asleep. It was too early for this shit.

///

Eddie quickly realized, after a few weeks, that Richie Tozier wasn't just annoying, he was also stalking him. Probably. Or Stan is providing him with Eddie's schedule. Either way, it's probably stalking.

Every day, at 11:50 a.m., Richie would be waiting outside Eddie’s Composition class.

Eddie would walk out, Richie would call him by some awful nickname, Eddie would groan, and they'd walk to the coffee shop together.

It was routine and as much as Eddie pretended to hate it, he liked it.

(He liked Richie.)

When they would get down to the little coffee shop, Richie would order something with too much caffeine and then recite Eddie's order. The first time Richie told the barista Eddie's order, Eddie smiled at Richie genuinely. Eddie’s lack of friends meant that whenever Richie did something nice, he was always surprised. 

“I'll have a venti caramel frappuccino with two extra shots and a London Fog for my dear Eds here,” Richie told the barista, winking. She giggled in response.

Eddie felt something in the pit of his stomach form, and flicked Richie’s arm, hissing, “Do not call me Eds!” 

When they got their order, they sat down at a booth in the corner where Richie began rambling and Eddie listened.

Richie was a talker, and while Eddie made the occasional “hmm” or quip back, he preferred listening to Richie. Not that he'd ever tell Richie that. Over the few weeks that Richie was following Eddie around, they had become sort of friends. He knew a lot about Richie, but sometimes it felt like it wasn’t enough. Richie, in turn, knew some things about Eddie, and definitely didn’t feel like it was enough. Richie wanted to know everything about Eddie, but Eddie was a little reserved about his past. That’s okay though, Richie would wait forever for Eddie if he had to. 

Eddie was listening to Richie tell a story about his argument with Stan about how Star Trek was better than Star Wars.

Eddie was about to tell him Star Trek is superior when he saw the cup. Or more accurately, the numbers on the cup. Scrawled across the plastic in permanent marker was a set of numbers along with a name that belonged to the barista who giggled at Richie earlier. It had a heart next to it.

Eddie wanted to vomit. As much as Richie flirted with him, Eddie was sure he didn't actually swing his way. Richie never actually made a move, and well, he flirted with everyone. Eddie has a small debate with himself: does he let Richie throw away the cup or does he tell Richie about it?

He settles for the latter, because he's a good person and because he really, really needs to get over his dumb crush on Richie.

“Hey, Rich,” Eddie starts, pointing at the cup and raising his eyebrows.

Richie looks at his cup, and the numbers, and well, he looks confused.

“She's cute, you should text her,” Eddie says when Richie just keeps looking confused. 

Richie’s face goes through a series of emotions at Eddie's words, mostly more confusion, and then proceeds to shut down. Eddie has never seen Richie look like that.

“Oh,” he cuts out.

“Richie, is there something wrong?” 

“No, I just- I remembered I have to go,” Richie says blankly.

“See ya later Eddie Spaghetti!” Richie says with false excitement before getting up, throwing the cup in the trash, and running out the door.

“O...kay.”

///

“What am I doing wrong?” Richie asks Stan, hands grabbing his hair in chunks. “Is this his way of rejecting me? Am I coming on too strong? Not strong enough?”

Stan sighs, “Richie, have you ever told Eddie how you feel?”

“Of course, I tell him every day that he's cute and I always hug him and meet him for coffee all the time.”

“No. Richie, have you ever told him the exact words ‘I like you’?”

“Well, no, but I thought that was implied.”

“Richie, you're a dumbass.”

Richie thought about it. It took a moment before the epiphany occurred. He was a dumbass.

“As always Stan the Man, you are the best friend a guy could have. I think I've got somewhere to be,” Richie said.

“Eddie has a class until three today,” Stan muttered.

“Which gives you time to find a place to stay for tonight!” Richie said cheerily.

Stan sighed, going to his room to pick up and pack an overnight bag.

It was 1:36 p.m., which gave Richie plenty of time to get some necessities before he met Eddie.

///

Trashmouth: hey

Eds: Hi?

Trashmouth: can u meet me at my apartment at 3:30?

Trashmouth: it is Important™

Eds: Yeah, that's fine.

///

Eddie showed up, knocking on the apartment door, before hearing Richie’s voice shout from within.

“It’s open!” 

Eddie walked in, smelling something cooking, and noticed there were a shit ton of tea candles covering every available space.

“Uh, Richie? What's going on?”

Richie walked out from the kitchen to the entryway where Eddie was. He was wearing a nice dark blue henley, and a pair of jeans without any rips in them, and he looked like he attempted to tame his hair.

“Hi Eds,” Richie said shyly. “I am, um, making dinner. Stan's not here.”

“O...kay,” Eddie eyed him carefully. “Why is the entire apartment a fire hazard?”

“I looked up ‘romantic ideas’ and there was a lot of articles on what to do, but I can’t afford 54 oysters containing pearls or like, paint for shit, so I went for a classic route,” Richie was staring at Eddie. “What do you think?”

Eddie wasn’t sure why Richie needed his opinion on what was looking like to be the setup for a date. Maybe Richie went back to the coffee shop and asked the barista out.

“Well, it’s nice. Maybe too many candles, but I think she’ll like it,” Eddie said, looking around, feeling his stomach become unsettled. The barista would like this, and then she and Richie would date, and Eddie would then be that guy- the one pathetically crushing on a straight guy with a girlfriend. 

Eddie looked back to Richie, whose face was scrunched up in confusion like earlier that day. 

“Who’s she?”

“The barista?”

“What barista?”

Eddie was tired.

“The one who gave you her number? Literally today?”

“Oh my god, you’re an idiot. I like an idiot! Wow,” Richie exclaimed, running his hands through his hair.

“Hey! I am not an idiot and- and you like me? Since when?”

Richie gave him a look, one that said, Duh.

“Only since the first time I met you,” Richie stepped closer to Eddie. 

“Oh,” Eddie was surprised, to say the least.

“Do you like me too?” Richie asked quietly, taking another step towards Eddie.

Eddie looked at Richie and smiled, “Only since the first time I meet you.”

Richie was in his space very quickly, wrapping his arms around Eddie, leaning down and putting his head on Eddie’s shoulder.

“Oh, thank God,” Richie mumbled, and then louder, “I guess I’m going to have to end things with your mom, huh?”

Eddie laughed, “Shut the fuck up Trashmouth.”

A loud beeping noise was sounding overhead, and Richie groaned, “Shit, I forgot about the alfredo.”

Eddie laughed again, a bright and happy noise. Richie knew he was fucked in the best way.


End file.
